Tag Archives: Operation Banahǫgg Spá

Lately I’ve been getting out for some PvP training session with some Corp/Alliance mates. I’ll be the first to admit that within my knowledge of EVE where I’m lacking the most is the fundamentals and tactics of PvP combat. There is just so much that goes into PvP and each time we head out I’m learning something new.

I’m solid with the pre-op preparation, knowing the ship I’m going to pilot, it’s weapons, speed, etc… and with following FC’s commands during the Fleets but where I seem to be deficient is during the actual engagements with my on-grid situational awareness. When we’re in the shit stuff like keeping range with the opposing fleet, where to align to when in trouble, watching out for scrams/webs/neuts on my ship, and a multitude of other important little things sometimes fall out of my vision.

I’m sure it’s just an experience thing and my ‘vision’ will improve but it can definitely be frustrating when I’m flying with such good pilots who are seeing all these things without even thinking about them – sometimes it leaves me feeling like such a pathetic noob.

What I need to do is get out for more training ops and commit to running Frigates through Operation Banahǫgg Spá at least a couple times a week and get that experience!

I held cloak for a few seconds to double check what a Magnate was and then dove in.

Rifter vs a primarily exploration based Magnate… I thought it was going to be an easy fight – I was wrong!

Analysis of outcomes:

I hit approach, overheated everything, got him scrammed and webbed and started applying damage.

I was hitting him well and took his shields right down quickly.

Then he started applying damage to me as well and I was gaping a bit before realizing he had drones out and then checked the scroll down of the fight and saw that he had some guns too.

He got me into armor and I hit my rep. Normally I’d have a solid amount of capacitor but it cycled just once and I was already running out, I was getting nuet’d.

It was all over once my cap ran out.

Conclusion/Summary and Post Action Thoughts:

This Magnate was a fun surprise, he nuet’d the heck outta me!

Can’t believe I gaped on drones again. Although I’m not sure shooting a couple of his drones would really have mattered, the Magnate has a good sized Drone Bay (40 m³) and I was fully committed to the engagement – I wasn’t going to run away.

Well… actually even had I wanted to I couldn’t run away as I had ZERO cap.

Switched it up a bit on this trip to Resbroko and flew my Dual Tank Rocket Breacher, Bombus Bumblebee, to the Novice Outpost.

Rather than making an off grid bookmark I warped to 100km off the gate and started burning away to get a good tactical.

There was a Kestrel on D-Scan inside the plex, and depending on whether it was fit with missiles or rockets it could be a decent match-up for Bombus so after getting far enough away to get a bookmark I bounced back to the Acceleration Gate at 10km.

Just as I was landing there was a Police Pursuit Comet, piloted by Ruthless Scarr, landing at the same time and he came out of warp just before I did, Yellow Boxed me, then Red Boxed me.

I didn’t put much thought into it and targeted him right back, activated everything, launched drones and spammed ‘Keep at Range’.

Analysis of outcomes:

I did not have time to do any homework on a Police Pursuit Comet so went to my preset strategy.

My default action with the Breacher was to keep him at range somewhere in the 6km to 7km distance where my rockets could hopefully out DPS whatever he had in his High slots and with the Web I was able to do that but I totally gaped on something…

This was my first time flying a dual tanked Breacher and it was working well, I had turned off the auto repeat on the reps and was manually cycling between them, but at some point his DPS was getting to be too much and I couldn’t cycle the reps fast enough.

It must be the time that I get on in the evenings as local numbers seem to be holding around eight to ten at that time of day. It’s busier earlier in the day and on weekends but I’ve found that it’s just a crap shoot as to whether you’ll find someone in the Outpost or not, local numbers don’t seem to matter.

Normal routine, enter the system, warp to within 100km of the Outpost, making a safe on the way in.

Checked D-scan on the way and saw an Incursus, he wasn’t on grid when I landed so assumed he was in the Outpost.

I warped back to my safe and did a pre-fight check.

The Incursus was not named after it’s pilot so I wasn’t able to do any research on my opponent but was able to do a little research on his ship.

Yelled “Banzai!” and went for it.

Analysis of outcomes:

A base Incursus is almost as fast as a Rifter but it gets a bonus to Small Hybrid Turret damage and it’s Armor Repairer amount versus the Rifter’s bonuses to Small Projectile Turret damage and falloff.

My goal and best chance to beat him was to get close, stay close, attempt to out DPS and tank his DPS as well as I could.

Plato Forko was the Incursus pilot, he was 4km to 5km away from my entry point with a negative security status so I didn’t waste anytime waiting for him to engage.

We both got web and scram and initially I was applying some solid damage to him but having missed my propmod he started getting some range on me.

By the time I noticed and finally activated and overheated my AB it was too late, he had gotten out of my optimal and into better range for his Railguns and was able to keep me there .

Even overheated my AB speed just wasn’t enough to close the distance again.

We had a good fight, both of us cycling our armor reps which made it last but my damage application was too low and my Capacitor eventually ran out and after a bit he wore down my armor, got me into structure and finally BOOM!

Conclusion/Summary and Post Action Thoughts:

I messed up with my propmod again – there’s a chance I could have won that fight if I had been able to keep him close.

That being said Plato is a 2009 toon and in looking at his Employment History he appears to have been active that whole time so his skills are likely on a wholly different level then mine.

For a few days in a row each time I’ve visited Resbroko there has not been an Amarr Novice Outpost in System but it was up last night.

After entering the system I made my way to my off grid perch within D-scan range of the Outpost and took a look.

The system was even less busy than the last time I got a fight here, maybe 5-10 in local but there was two ships on D-Scan at the Outpost – a Rifter and a Slasher – ideal!

Analysis of outcomes:

I went for it, warped to zero on the Outpost and activated the gate immediately upon coming out of warp.

Webster Zeus was sitting off the gate in his Slasher so that meant the Rifter was waiting for me inside.

Came out of warp into the Outpost and there was Lily Egivand in the Rifter, who looked to be salvaging wrecks?

I fired up my prop mod, hit approach and started targeting. As soon as I got into range I triggered everything – Warp Scram, Stasis Webifier, AutoCannons, Rocket Launcher – and got a tight orbit.

Lily got in some shots, had me down to about 50% shield, but his Rifter was not fit very well and went down hard.

Right after Lily’s Rifter blew in came Mr.Zeus. I was a little worried about getting into optimal on his Slasher as they are pretty quick but the range was excellent when he came in and once I got the Scram and Web on him it was fully under control.

Webster went right after me and with my shield already haven taken a beating got me into armor quickly but I’ve got this Rifter armor tanked with a Small Armor Repairer II for backup so was not too worried.

In the end my DPS was too much for him and his Slasher and it crumpled.

Conclusion/Summary and Post Action Thoughts:

I looted the wrecks and then warped back to my perch to rep up my armor and let my shields recharge.

GF’s were thrown up in local while I was waiting out the armor rep and shield recharge.

I am pleased with the engagements.

My Rifter survived two decent 1v1 fights and I got some good practice out of the experience.

Neither are super match-ups for the Rifter but they are do-able if I could get close, stay close, overheat the guns and not orbit… but after my two ‘wins’ I wanted to end my visit to Resbroko on a high so headed back to Hek.

After getting a recommendation to try a Factional Warfare System to look for 1v1 Frigate fights I did a little research and saw that Resbroko was super close to Hek and an active FW System.

I made the two jumps, checked out the System a bit, made a couple of book marks, one way off grid safe spot and a perch within D-scan range of a Amarr Novice Outpost. The Novice Outposts only allow T1 Frigates into them so I knew that with whatever came in I’d be on somewhat even ground.

Analysis of outcomes:

The system was not super busy, maybe 15-20 in local but I thought I’d give it a go anyways so I warped to the perch, narrowed down the angle on my D-Scan and took a look at the Novice Outpost. I could see two ships on D-Scan, a Condor and a Worm, neither being a great match-up for the Rifter but I was itching to lose a Frigate so I dove right in.

I warped to zero on the Outpost, activated the gate and once in hit orbit around the nearest structure and waited.

It took all of maybe 5 to 10 seconds and in came the Worm. It was the worse match-up of the two but I wasted no time… hit approach, activated and overheated my prop mod, targeted then lit up and overheated everything.

I figured my only chance was to close distance and get on him early but it just wasn’t enough. I think I managed to get him down to maybe 50% shield before he popped me.

Conclusion/Summary and Post Action Thoughts:

It was what I was looking for… to lost a Frigate and I succeeded. Not sure what I could have done to change the outcome of this particular engagement – I was in a hurry to get blown up and that’s what happened.

Small Core Defense Field Extender II
Small Core Defense Field Extender II
Small Core Defense Field Extender II

Hobgoblin II x3
Warrior II x2

That’s a pretty deadly fit against a Rifter. Once he had me scrammed I just couldn’t get him into my optimal range, he was just far enough away and just fast enough that his DPS was too much for me. By the time I did get close enough it was all over.

Can’t be too displeased with the outcome and now I know where to go to find some 1v1 Frigate fights so I’ll definitely be heading back there but next time maybe I’ll be a little more picky about my opponent.

I’ve run around the Low-Sec Systems of Molden Heath looking for trouble, I’ve looted wrecks in the Hek belts getting a Suspect Flag and then warped around the belts looking for someone to engage, and I’ve jumped from Hek into Otou and wandered the Low-Sec Systems of Sinq Laison but there’s been no joy.

When I’ve been in Hek I’ve thought about just outright asking in local for a 1v1 Frigate match-up or maybe utilizing the in-game ‘Invite to Duel’ request but have not sold myself on those ideas yet. I’m a little wary of those options being open to third party Logi involvement.

What am I missing? Are 1v1 Frigate fights just that hard to come by? Am I just being too passive about it? Am I looking in the wrong areas?